Shower enclosure track assembly



1969 G. A. O'BRIEN SHOWER ENCLOSURE TRACK ASSEMBLY Filed March 11, 1966 MWZWIVZ.

gram/[r11 United States Patent Office 3,422,464 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shower enclosure assembly of a base, rail member and sliding panel in which the base has a wall recessed along its top edge and the rail member fits in and fills the recess. The rail member is extruded and formed with a flange hooked over a lip on the base, a groove guiding a panel guide element, and fastener receiving grooves for mounting pilot plates.

Description of the invention This invention relates generally to shower bath enclosures and more particularly concerns an assembly for holding and guiding the lower edge of a shower door or curtain.

It is common practice to mount a track member along the top of a shower-equipped tub or receptor, and to provide the lower edge of a shower door or curtain with glides or rollers that move along the track to guide and hold the door or curtain as it is opened and closed. The present invention concerns an improved arrangement of this kind.

One aim of the invention is to provide a shower enclosure having a significantly improved appearance because of a hidden flush positioning of the lower track member. The flush mounting of the track member, with both the top and bottom wall of the tub or receptor, also minimizes the chances of inadvertent damage to the assembly. A related object is to achieve ease in alining and installation while maintaining the flush mounting of the track member.

Another object of the invention is to provide an enclosure in which the track member can be readily cleaned and which does not trap water so as to avoid the buildup of soap residue.

A further object is to provide an enclosure assembly which can be economically manufactured and easily installed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective of a shower enclosure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken approximately along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken approximately along the line 33 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken approximately along the line 44 in FIG. 3.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, I intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning to the drawing, there is shown a shower enclosure 10 in which the invention is embodied and which includes a base in the form of a receptor 11, a pair of walls 12 and 13, a top band 14, and the usual drain 15, showerhead 16 and water control 17 for the showerhead.

In the illustrated construction, the walls 12, 13 are at right angles to one another and the receptor 11 and the band 14 have quarter-circle fronts so that the enclosure 10 is suitable for installation in the corner of a room. Normally, the walls 12, 13 are defined by tile or a similar covering applied directly to the room walls of the corner in which the enclosure 10 is installed.

The receptor 11 includes a front wall 20 which defines the lower edge of the opening into the enclosure 10. A panel is provided for closing the opening and, in the illustrated embodiment, the panel takes the form of a door 21 defined by vertical bars 22 interconnected by flexible sheets 23. In the fully open position, shown in FIG. 1, the bars 22 are closely spaced and the sheets 23 bowed inwardly. Pulling the right-hand bar 22 to the right as seen in this figure spaces the bars 22 and flattens the sheets 23 between the bars to form a door panel extending along the receptor wall 20 between a pair of hollow end members 24 and 25 that are fastened against the enclosure walls 12, 13, respectively.

The door bars 22 are suspended for sliding movement in a track mounted behind the band 14, and the lower ends of the bars 22 are also held and guided for movement along the wall 20 by an arrangement embodying the invention.

In accordance with the invention, the receptor wall 20 is formed with a recess 30 running along the upper edge of the wall and opening inwardly, and a rail member 31 for guiding the door bars 22 is secured in the recess 30 with intersecting surfaces 32 and 33 constituting continuations of the top and inner side of the wall 20. The member 31 substantially fills the recess 30, and its exposed surfaces 32, 33 lie flush with the adjacent surfaces of the receptor wall, A track groove 34 is formed in the lower portion of the rail member 31 well below the top of the wall 20. The groove 34 receives the guide elements of the shower door which, in this case, are rollers 35 journalled on blocks 36 that are resiliently mounted on the lower ends of the bars. 22. The groove 34 is open-bottomed so that water and soap residue cannot accumulate. The low position of the groove 34 with respect to the top of the wall 20 insures that there is no splashing of water out of the receptor 11 when the shower door is closed and the shower is in use.

Preferably, the rail member 31 is extruded so as to economically obtain the desired substantially uniform cross section. The cross section includes a pair of fastener receiving grooves 37 which, at the ends of the member 31, receive screws 38 locking a pilot plate 39 to each end of the member 31. Each plate 39 extends upwardly to be snugly received within the overlying one of the end members 24, 25. During installation, the rail member 31 is first put in place with the pilot plates 39 attached. The end members 24, 25 are then piloted over the plates 39, to establish and maintain proper alinement between the end members and the rail member 31, and the end members are secured to the adjacent walls. Preferably, the pilot plates are formed with tongs or steps 41 which lie level with the surface 32 and engage the bottom ends of the end members 24, 25. With the end members fixed in place, the steps 41 hold the rail member 31 down in position.

For initially positioning and holding the rail member 31 in place, the wall recess 30 includes a wall portion defining an upwardly extending lip 42, and the rail member 31 includes a flange 43 that is hooked over the lip 42. In the illustrated construction, the member 31 is also formed with ridged portions 44 and 45 which are adapted to facilitate sealing the member 31 within the recess 30 with a mastic or similar material.

The flush mounting of the rail member 31 with the surfaces of the wall 20 gives the assembly a neat trim appearance. The flat surfaces 32, 33 make the assembly easy to clean, as does the open groove 34. Moreover, the hidden flush positioning of the rail member 31 minimizes the likelihood of inadvertent damage to the assembly.

Those familiar with this art will also appreciate that the assembly embodying the invention can be economically manufactured and readily installed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shower enclosure, the combination comprising, a base having a wall defining the lower edge of an opening into said enclosure, said wall having a recess running along the upper edge of the wall and opening inwardly of said enclosure, a rail member secured in said recess and having intersecting surfaces constituting continuations of the top and inner side of the wall so that the member substantially fills the recess, said member being formed to define a track groove spaced below the top of the Wall and running the length of said member, a panel for closing said opening, and a guide element mounted on said panel and fitted in running engagement within said groove.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said rail member has a substantially uniform cross section which includes fastener receiving grooves.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said wall recess includes a wall portion defining an upwardly extending lip, and said rail member includes a flange which is hooked over said lip to hold said member in place.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said track groove is open bottomed with no flange to trap water therein.

5. The combination of claim 1 including an end member positioned above one end of said rail member, and a pilot plate secured to said rail member end and being fitted in said end member, said pilot plate having a step abutting the bottom of said end member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 753,002 2/1904 Ricks 4154 1,685,180 9/1928 Sheller 4l49 2,774,973 12/1956 Aarnio 4l49 2,897,514 8/1959 Collins 4154 2,897,515 8/1959 Collins 4154 2,911,654 11/1959 Bruno 4l49 3,037,555 6/ 1962 Kochanowski 4-154 3,102,581 9/1963 Kochanowski 4l49 3,111,208 11/1963 Grossman 4l49 FOREIGN PATENTS 992,467 7/ 1951 France.

SAMUEL ROTHBERG, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

